At Vickerstown Primary School, our Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum provides a strong and inspiring start to every child’s learning journey. We are committed to delivering an exciting, engaging and motivating curriculum that fosters a lifelong love of learning from the very beginning.
We create a happy, safe and nurturing environment where children feel secure, valued and confident to explore. Our aim is to develop independent learners who show resilience, build positive friendships and form strong, respectful relationships with others.
Our curriculum is fully inclusive and designed to ensure that learning is accessible for all. We recognise and celebrate each child’s individual progress, supporting them to achieve their full potential. A strong emphasis is placed on creating a language-rich environment where oracy skills, speech and language development are central to daily practice. High-quality interactions underpin all learning, enabling children to communicate confidently and effectively.
Through carefully planned activities and well-resourced provision, children are encouraged to follow their interests, deepen their knowledge and develop curiosity about the world around them. Our stimulating indoor and outdoor environments provide opportunities for exploration, creativity and safe risk-taking, allowing children to challenge themselves and build confidence.
We work in close partnership with parents and carers, valuing children’s home experiences and ensuring that we develop a true understanding of the whole child. Together, we lay secure foundations that prepare children effectively for the next stage of their school life, equipping them with the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed for continued success.
At Vickerstown, we believe that English underpins all areas of learning and is fundamental to pupils’ academic success. Our English curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that all children develop the skills to read, write and speak fluently, enabling them to communicate their ideas, thoughts and needs with confidence. We have high expectations for every child and are committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of starting point, make strong progress.
Reading
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We are passionate about developing confident, motivated and lifelong readers who read for pleasure as well as for learning. Children are exposed to a wide range of high-quality texts that promote a love of reading, develop vocabulary and support their understanding of the world. Reading is prioritised across the school and is used to support learning in all subjects.
Early reading is taught from the moment children join Vickerstown. We follow the Little Wandle Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme to provide a structured, consistent and evidence-based approach to teaching phonics. In our Nursery provision, children are immersed in a language-rich environment where they are introduced to sounds, rhythm, rhyme and stories, preparing them well for the next stage of their reading journey.
In Reception, children begin to systematically build their knowledge of the phonetic code by learning the graphemes that represent individual sounds (phonemes). They are taught to blend sounds to read words and to segment sounds to support early spelling. Teaching is carefully matched to children’s needs to ensure they are supported to keep up and build confidence as readers.
As children progress through Key Stage 1, the focus is on securing early reading skills so that pupils move from learning to read to reading with increasing accuracy and fluency. Once children have completed the SSP programme and can decode confidently, teaching broadens to developing fluency, expression and appropriate prosody.
In Key Stage 2, the emphasis within reading shifts towards developing deeper comprehension skills. Children are taught to engage thoughtfully with texts, explore meaning and articulate their understanding through discussion and written responses. They develop the skills needed to infer, predict, summarise and explain, enabling them to read to learn across the wider curriculum.
To support a broad and balanced reading curriculum, we use the Literacy Tree – Reading Roots scheme. This ensures that pupils experience a diverse range of high-quality literature and have regular opportunities to revisit and deepen their understanding of key texts.
Writing
We believe that children should be given frequent and meaningful opportunities to write with purpose. At Vickerstown, writing is carefully planned so that pupils understand why they are writing, who they are writing for and how their writing links to high-quality texts.
From the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin developing the essential skills needed for writing through mark making, fine motor development and early letter formation. These foundations are built through structured and purposeful activities that support children to gain control, confidence and enjoyment in early writing.
We follow a book-based approach to writing, adapting planning from Literacy Tree’s Writing Leaves. High-quality texts are used to engage and inspire pupils, providing strong models for language, structure and style. Children are immersed in these texts and are supported to analyse their features, content and purpose.
Before writing independently, pupils are taught the relevant spelling, grammar and sentence-level skills needed for each genre. This ensures that children have the tools and understanding required to write effectively. They then apply their learning by creating their own pieces of writing, closely linked to the class text and wider curriculum.
Through this structured and progressive approach, pupils develop confidence as writers and are supported to produce writing that is purposeful, technically accurate and increasingly ambitious as they move through the school.
- Children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 take part in the Mastering Number programme.
- Children from Year 1 onwards complete a weekly Arithmetic test.
- From Year 1 onwards, children have their own login for Numbots and Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS), which they can use at school and at home. This helps them improve their recall of number bonds and times tables in a fun and engaging way, and they can earn certificates for their speed and progress.
At Vickerstown Primary School, our Science curriculum—rooted in the CUSP framework—aims to inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world while equipping children with the knowledge and skills they need to think scientifically. We are committed to developing curious, confident, and independent learners who can ask questions, make predictions, and draw evidence-based conclusions.
Through the CUSP Science curriculum, we ensure that learning is carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich, and revisited over time to build long-term understanding. Our pupils are encouraged to explore, investigate and deepen their understanding of biology, chemistry, and physics through hands-on experiences and purposeful enquiry.
We intend for all pupils to:
- Develop secure and lasting scientific knowledge through explicit teaching and retrieval-based practice.
- Learn and use precise scientific vocabulary to communicate their ideas clearly and confidently.
- Understand how science is relevant to their lives and the world around them.
- Build competence in working scientifically—posing questions, setting up fair tests, collecting data, and evaluating results.
At Vickerstown, science is not just a subject but a lens through which our children explore and make sense of the world. Our curriculum empowers every child to develop a lifelong curiosity, preparing them for the next stage of education and for a future shaped by scientific discovery.
The Computing curriculum is designed to equip all pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world. We follow the STEM-endorsed Teach Computing programme, which provides a carefully sequenced and progressive curriculum covering computer science, information technology and digital literacy. Computing is taught as a discrete subject and is also used purposefully to support learning across the wider curriculum.
Pupils have access to networked computers and age-appropriate digital resources, with supervised use of the internet and email. Online safety is a key priority and is taught explicitly, with learning revisited regularly to ensure pupils know how to use technology safely, responsibly and respectfully. Through high-quality teaching and regular opportunities to apply their learning, pupils develop confidence, resilience and competence in using technology, preparing them well for the next stage of education and life beyond school.
At Vickerstown Primary School, we use the CUSP Geography curriculum to provide a broad, balanced and ambitious geography education. Rooted in our five core principles, our intent is to inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people, equipping children with knowledge and understanding that will stay with them for life.
Geography at our school enables pupils to develop a deep understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes, and how these interact to shape landscapes, environments and communities. Learning is carefully sequenced so that each study builds upon prior knowledge. From exploring their immediate environment in the Early Years to studying continents, oceans and global processes in Key Stage 2, pupils revisit and strengthen their understanding over time. This deliberate practice supports strong knowledge retention and helps children make meaningful connections.
Our curriculum develops both substantive knowledge (the key facts, concepts and vocabulary of geography) and disciplinary knowledge (how to think and work as a geographer). Geographical vocabulary is explicitly taught and revisited from Year 1 to Year 6, enabling pupils to articulate their understanding with confidence and precision. Misconceptions are carefully addressed so that children develop secure and accurate knowledge.
Each unit is framed by clear “Big Ideas” which connect and deepen learning:
Locational Knowledge – knowing where places are
Place Knowledge – understanding what places are like
Human and Physical Geography – exploring how people and environments interact
Geographical Skills and Fieldwork – using maps, globes, compasses and enquiry skills to investigate the world
As pupils progress, they learn to think geographically by considering:
Place and space
Scale and connection
Physical and human processes
Environment and sustainability
Culture and diversity
Through our Geography curriculum, we aim to develop informed, reflective and responsible citizens who understand their place in the world and their role in shaping its future.
At Vickerstown Primary School, we use the CUSP History curriculum to deliver an ambitious, carefully sequenced and knowledge-rich history education. Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our children, enabling them to become critical thinkers who can investigate, reflect upon and evaluate events from the past.
Through engaging and thoughtfully structured topics, pupils develop secure chronological understanding and gain the knowledge and skills needed to become informed, engaged and thoughtful citizens. We aim to inspire curiosity about the past, encourage critical thinking and deepen pupils’ understanding of their own society and the wider world, making meaningful links to our five core principles.
The CUSP History curriculum is built on advancing cumulative knowledge, secure chronology, and an understanding of change through cause and consequence. Pupils are supported to make connections within and across periods of history, gradually developing a broad, coherent mental timeline. Learning is designed for long-term retention so that knowledge is embedded and built upon over time. With each study, pupils become ‘more expert’ historians.
Historical vocabulary is explicitly planned and taught sequentially from Year 1 to Year 6. High-frequency Tier 2 vocabulary is taught alongside subject-specific Tier 3 terminology to ensure pupils can confidently articulate their understanding.
Our curriculum develops both substantive knowledge — learning about people, places, events and changes in the past — and disciplinary knowledge, where pupils learn to think and work as historians. Each unit is framed by clearly defined “Big Ideas” which connect and deepen learning:
Community – understanding groups of people living together
Knowledge – recognising the impact knowledge has on people and societies
Invasion – exploring conflict and the taking of land
Civilisation – studying organised societies with shared laws and beliefs
Power – examining influence over people, places and progress
Democracy – understanding systems of government chosen by the people
As pupils progress, they develop their disciplinary knowledge through ‘working historically’, considering:
Significance
Evidence
Continuity and change
Cause and consequence
Historical perspective
Contextual interpretation
Through our History curriculum, we aim to foster reflective learners who understand the past, make connections to the present and are prepared to shape the future with knowledge, empathy and insight.
Art and design supports pupils in understanding and shaping the world around them through sensory experiences, emotion and visual communication. Engaging in art and design allows pupils learn to observe carefully, explore ideas, interpret meaning and make thoughtful choices.
At Vickerstown, our Art and Design curriculum is delivered through the CUSP framework and is underpinned by the following principles:
• to develop pupils’ creativity, curiosity and confidence through structured exploration, enquiry and high-quality visual outcomes
• to enable pupils to communicate ideas, feelings and imagination using a range of media, techniques and processes, while developing technical skill and visual literacy
• to build knowledge and understanding of significant artists, designers and craftspeople, ensuring pupils develop critical awareness and an appreciation of their own and other cultural heritages.
Design and Technology at Vickerstown School is an inspiring, practical and knowledge-rich subject that equips pupils with the skills and understanding needed to design and make purposeful products. Through the CUSP curriculum, pupils are immersed in a structured and ambitious approach to design, where creativity and imagination are balanced with technical knowledge and real-world application.
Pupils are taught to design and make products that respond to real and relevant problems within a range of contexts. They develop a secure understanding of materials, mechanisms and systems, while drawing on knowledge from mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art to inform their design decisions.
Through iterative design, making and evaluation, pupils learn to problem-solve, think critically and work resourcefully. The study of past and present designers, technologists and engineers from diverse cultures and backgrounds enables pupils to understand the impact of design and technology on everyday life and the wider world. This is particularly relevant to our local context, helping pupils to see clear links between learning in school and future opportunities.
High-quality Design and Technology education at Vickerstown supports pupils in becoming innovative, enterprising and capable individuals, making a meaningful contribution to the creativity, well-being and prosperity of the local community and beyond.
Update coming soon
Vickerstown Primary School believes that a strong PSHE education is important to help our pupils develop into well-rounded members of society, who able to make a positive contribution to their community. At Vickerstown Primary School, our PSHE curriculum is strongly tied to our sex and relationship education (SRE) and pastoral care programme.
At Vickerstown Primary School, we understand the importance of educating pupils about sex and relationships, in order for pupils to make responsible and well-informed decisions in their lives.
SRE is a lifelong learning process of acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs and attitudes about sex, sexuality, relationships and feelings (Sex Education Forum 1999).
Effective SRE can make a significant contribution to the development of the personal skills needed by pupils if they are to establish and maintain relationships. It also enables young people to make responsible and informed decisions about their health and well-being.
The 1996 Education Act consolidates all relevant previous legislation and states that all primary schools must provide an up to date policy that describes the content and organisation of SRE provided outside the National Curriculum Science Order. The DfE Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000) supports this legislation and recommends that all primary schools should have a sex and relationship education programme tailored to the age and physical and emotional maturity of the children.
The vision for students, staff and others linked to our school is to always look to achieve our personal best in every aspect of school life.
·Our school is one where everyone is encouraged and supported to achieve their personal best.
·Our school is welcoming, inclusive, has a real community feel and is a place where everyone is valued.
·Our pupils and staff treat each other equitably, fairly, with kindness and with mutual respect. At all times, staff and pupils are encouraged to show a high regard for the needs and feelings of others through their actions and words.
·Our pupils and staff are enterprising and approach challenges with a ‘can-do’ attitude.
·The needs and interests of all pupils, irrespective of gender, culture, ability or aptitude, will be promoted through an inclusive and varied PSHE curriculum at our school.
·Our environment is safe and clean with everyone sharing responsibility for it.
·Our culture is one of continuous improvement, creativity and enthusiasm.
·Parents and carers will be informed about the policy via the school’s website where it, and the PSHE and SRE curriculum, will be available to read and download.
·The Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Policy (PSHE) will be used alongside the Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Policy, Safeguarding policy, Behaviour Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, British Values Policy and Parent Partnership Policy, in order to ensure a comprehensive PSHE education.
Our music curriculum is delivered using the Kapow scheme, which provides a structured and progressive approach to musical learning. We enrich our curriculum through additional opportunities provided by Cumbria Music Service, ensuring children experience a wide range of musical styles and activities. All pupils have the opportunity to learn to play the violin in school, and some children also access wind instrument tuition as an extracurricular activity. Through our music provision, children develop confidence, creativity and a lifelong appreciation of music.
PE Curriculum Map 2025-2026
At Vickerstown, we recognise the vital role that Physical Education plays in supporting children’s physical development, health and wellbeing. Our PE curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced range of activities that enable all pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to lead active and healthy lifestyles, both now and in the future.
We follow the Get Set 4 PE scheme, which ensures a structured and progressive approach to teaching physical education. Lessons are carefully sequenced so that children build on prior learning, developing physical competence alongside teamwork, resilience and positive attitudes towards physical activity.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the focus is on developing fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, balancing and throwing. Through purposeful play and structured activities, children build coordination, control and confidence, forming strong foundations for future learning in PE.
In Key Stage 1, pupils build on these foundations by applying their fundamental movement skills within a range of games-based activities. They begin to develop simple tactics, understand rules and work collaboratively with others, while continuing to improve agility, balance and coordination.
By Key Stage 2, pupils apply their skills and knowledge within more sport-specific contexts. They develop technical skills, tactical understanding and the ability to evaluate and improve their own performance. Children are encouraged to demonstrate sportsmanship, teamwork and perseverance, helping them to develop a lifelong positive relationship with physical activity.
Through our PE curriculum, we aim to ensure that all pupils are physically confident, motivated and equipped with the knowledge and skills to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle beyond primary school.
We teach French across Key Stage 2 using Twinkl’s Scheme of Learning. Our curriculum is progressive and carefully sequenced, providing regular opportunities for pupils to revisit and consolidate key vocabulary and language structures. Lessons include a balanced mix of speaking, listening, reading and writing activities, enabling children to develop confidence and competence in using French in a range of practical contexts. Cultural learning is an important part of our provision, helping pupils to explore French-speaking countries, traditions and everyday life. Pupils also have opportunities to take part in MAT-level languages events, where they can apply their skills, develop confidence and celebrate language learning with children from other schools.
